All I can say is "Wow!" I asked for musicians and these amazing talents and kind souls came forward to help out. I asked actors and writers to take part in the public reading of climatechangenovel.com and I had this amazing and generous group of people come forward. I asked for people to come listen to my book (almost 90,000 words into a first draft but not quite done yet) and 40 people - friends, family members, and interested members of the public - came out to show their support for me, for the creative process, and for the burning public issue behind this book. You have shown such faith in me, such generosity, and such support - I will endeavour heartily to reward your faith and generous spirits by completing this book, polishing it, and making it worth your investment of time, friendship, and well wishes.

I owe many thanks to my patient wife for obliging my crazy dreams, like being a writer. I remember the time I wanted to be a movie actor. She didn't laugh when I began reading a movie script out loud, pulled together a comical curriculum vitae, placed my 8 X 10 glossy in an envelope, and drove to a nearby city to read for the part of a violent police officer. She drove down with me, and humoured me, and never said, "Grow up." She let me have my dream. I never got the part, of course, but I also never had to say, "What if." My beautiful bride is now supporting my latest folly - the dream of publishing a novel. Thank you, my love, for letting me dream.

TimothyColbournCumming

Timothy Colbourn Cumming is a professional communicator and former journalist and teacher. He is author of The Tiger's Lion, a play about Scottish novelist John Galt, a major figure in the growth of the Canada Company and southwestern Ontario. Tim's articles and columns have appeared in The Globe and Mail, The Record, The London Free Press, and The News of Mexico City, among other daily and weekly newspapers.